


Crescendo

by usakiwigirl



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Cybermen - Freeform, Daleks - Freeform, M/M, Mindfuck, Porn With Plot, cannibals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-20
Updated: 2012-01-20
Packaged: 2017-10-29 20:25:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/323836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/usakiwigirl/pseuds/usakiwigirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack helps Ianto deal with a mentally and emotionally trying day the only way he knows how.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crescendo

**Author's Note:**

> Written for sariagray on LJ after she posted about her supposed ‘kink’ for music, wanting someone to write smut for her. I like to think of it more as inspiration! I sifted through her little post of goodies and picked Bolero, my all-time favourite piece of classical music. I recommend listening to it while reading, if you have a copy.
> 
> Possible cruelty to spiders, slight mention of bestiality (but it’s canon, go figure).

Jack sat on the living room sofa, watching Ianto as he moved around in a cleaning frenzy. He knew this was Ianto’s way of coping, of dealing with something that was out of his control. He also knew that it was not going to work, not this time. What had happened to them today had brought back too many memories, too many repressed feelings, for a little dusting and vacuuming to settle.

* * * * * * * * * *

”Jack! Jack?! Where the fuck... somebody? Gwen? Owen... Tosh? Why isn’t anybody fucking answering? The one time I need them to pay attention to what I have to say and they all ignore me! Fucking figures. Way my day has been, all I need now is for a bunch of cannibalistic fucking robots to waltz in saying ‘Exterminate’. Or fairies. Hell, Abbadon and Manger wouldn’t be a surprise right now.”

Jack could hear Ianto ranting through his headset, but try as he might, he couldn’t make himself heard. He could hear the others yelling at Ianto as well, trying their hardest to get his attention, but Ianto kept on rambling, shouting invectives as frequently as he called for backup. Tosh was searching as hard as possible to find out where he was, but interference of a distinctly alien origin was preventing her from locating him precisely. All they knew for certain was that he was somewhere within a large collection of warehouses, most probably in one of the two nearer the northern end.

They split up to look for him – Owen and Gwen taking the nearest warehouse and Jack heading to the one a little further away. As Jack entered, he noted that it was mostly empty, with only a few large crates stacked along the far wall, and a row of offices built up high at the far end. He made his way over to the offices, glancing briefly at the crates and dismissing them out of hand after seeing the large amount of dust and cobwebs surrounding them, undisturbed.

He slowed at the stairs, listening carefully for anything out of place. There was nothing but the sound of what was most probably rats rummaging for food or nest material – or what could also be someone shuffling along a floor, trying to be stealthy. Jack lifted his Webley, holding it steady in front of his face as he climbed steadily up the stairs, being careful to stay against the wall to minimise any danger of squeaky treads, or falling through rotten boards. Just because he had the ability to come back from the dead, didn’t mean he needed to display said ability on a daily – or nightly – basis.

Reaching the top, he paused, again listening carefully for any out-of-place sounds. The rats – or not – were closer up here, coming from one of the offices. He moved slowly, checking each room before moving on to the next, the noises getting louder with every step. He stepped into the next-to-last office, immediately seeing Ianto lying prone, body jerking spasmodically, as he continued to mutter for help, cursing all the while.

Jack went straight to his side, crouching low over him to shake his shoulder, turning his head to look into his eyes and noting that while his voice was lucid, his gaze was anything but. His pupils were pinpricks, the blue of his irises an unnaturally bright shade as they stared vacantly past Jack. He was still wearing his earpiece, but something was obviously interfering with the reception, lights blinking randomly as Jack gently removed it from Ianto’s head. As soon as it was free, Ianto stopped cursing, a confused look coming over his face as his eyes slowly regained their normal hue and his pupils dilated a little. He looked around the room, confusion filling his features as he realised that he wasn’t standing.

“Ianto... hey, you back with us?” Jack was still leaning over him, concern written large across his face. Unfortunately, Ianto’s mind was still stuck in whatever scenario had been playing out, and he yelled in shock to see Jack so close, scrambling back along the floor to get away.

“No... no... I won’t let you... You can’t make me... You’ll have to kill me...”

Jack was getting more concerned with every word. Reaching his hand to his own earpiece, he called quickly for Owen and Gwen, regretting that he had not notified them immediately upon finding Ianto. Whatever it was that had been interfering with Tosh’s instruments before had ended, so he had no trouble getting hold of them, making sure they were aware of the urgency and to _’hurry up, Ianto needs help, now.’_

He turned back to Ianto, being careful not to make any sudden or sharp moves. Ianto was sitting against the furthest wall, knees bent and arms clasped tight around his legs, making his body as small as possible – a neat trick for a man who was as tall as Jack and nearly as big. He was rocking slightly, muttering to himself, confusing phrases and words that made Jack pause in his slow move toward him.

“Fucking cannibals... Cybermen cannibals... Manger and cannibals... Exterminate, delete. I don’t want to... fuck, where are they..? Why aren’t they listening to me?”

Jack’s stomach dropped and his heart clenched, an unpleasant sensation that he chose to ignore for now, focusing instead on how best to bring Ianto back. He crouched down, not moving closer, but bringing his face to the same level as Ianto’s, softly speaking to get his attention.

“Ianto... Can you hear me? It’s Jack... report. Ianto, give me your situation.”

“Jack? Where are you? Why haven’t you been answering me? Jack? Help...” Ianto’s voice trailed off, his head still down against his knees. Jack crept closer, slowly and quietly, again calling out to Ianto, asking him to check in and report his situation. Once more, Ianto answered without lifting his head, although his voice was louder, a little less shaky than before. Jack decided to risk a touch, reaching his hand out and gently placing it on one of Ianto’s where it was wrapped around his legs. He was pleased when he didn’t jerk away, merely twitching slightly before turning his hand over and grasping hold as if he was drowning, the grip painfully tight.

He lifted his head, just enough to see Jack crouched down in front of him. A flurry of emotions rolled across his features – confusion, hope, relief, something more than affection that Jack again chose to ignore, just like his heart and wonky stomach from earlier – before settling on anger, an emotion that manifested itself with Ianto pushing Jack back onto his arse, his face red as he scrambled to his feet. As soon as Jack picked himself up, Ianto swung, his right fist connecting with Jack’s jaw in a manner reminiscent of the way he’d punched him after Lisa.

Jack staggered back, his hands up in front of his face, both as a measure of protection and to show Ianto that he wasn’t armed, wasn’t going to fight back. Ianto’s face was still red, anger still burned from his eyes, but his arms stayed by his sides. He glared at Jack, his mouth pulled down with such displeasure that Jack swore he could see ice creeping along the floor and walls of the room.

“Where the fuck were you? I’ve been calling for backup for hours? There were Cybermen here, Jack! Cannibal Cybermen! And they were yelling at me... they had me pinned down. I needed back up, but I couldn’t get hold of any of you. And then... and then... they were gone... just... gone.” His voice went from strident to quiet to confused, as he shook his head, trying to make sense of what he was saying.

Jack stepped closer, keeping his hands up until he was sure Ianto wasn’t going to take another swing at him. He knew he’d heal, quicker than anybody else, but _fuck!_ it hurt like a bitch, especially when Ianto was the one behind the punch. The man was deceptively strong and had a hell of a swing on him.

“Hey. Ianto, we couldn’t find you. We could hear you, but obviously you couldn’t hear us. Tosh was getting some kind of interference - we managed to narrow it down to one or two warehouses, but nothing closer than that. Gwen and Owen are on their way now from the other warehouse, they should be here soon. We tried. Honest, you know we tried - we’d never leave you behind. I’d never leave you behind.”

“Jack... I... Sorry, I just... it was... I don’t know. Was any of it real? It seemed real, but now... I’m not so sure.”

“Yeah. I don’t know, either, but I’m going on the assumption that it wasn’t real. I think someone or some _thing_ was playing with your head, with all our heads, really. I’ll have Owen and Gwen do a sweep of the warehouse when they get here, but I want to get you out of here. Owen can do a quick check and unless he says otherwise, I’ll take you home. You look like shit.”

“Thanks. Right from the heart, Jack. Guaranteed to make me feel better.”

Jack smiled, a small genuine smile that only Ianto ever got to see. If Ianto was able to be sarcastic, then he was coming out of whatever confusion had been sown in his mind.

“Welcome back, Ianto. Come on. I can hear Owen and Gwen. We’ll meet them downstairs. I think getting you away from this room would be a good start to getting your head sorted.”

Jack bent over, picking up the discarded earpiece that he’d removed from Ianto. On closer inspection, he noticed that it was still flashing lights in a seemingly random manner. He held it up to Ianto, curiosity suffusing his voice as he asked, “You ever seen one of these do this before?”

“No - and that’s not my comm. I was using one of the old ones today. What the fuck - do you think maybe that had something to do with--”

“It’s a distinct possibility. Let’s meet the others. I’ll give it to them to take back to Tosh. She’ll have a field day looking this thing over.”

“Don’t let her put it on. If it was that, it’s dangerous. Make sure she knows - I’d hate for anything to happen to her.”

“Don’t worry, Tosh knows what she’s doing. But I’ll make sure she knows our suspicions. I’m still going to take you home after Owen looks you over.”

“Fabulous. Doctor Delightful poking and prodding at me. Can my day be any worse?”

“Oi, Tea Boy, I heard that! I’ll have you know I use my best bedside manner with you lot.”

“I bet the NHS is bloody happy you’re no longer working in their hospitals. I’ve seen trees with better manners than you.”

“You know, there is a fabulous race of beings out there, real walking humanoid trees from the Forest of Cheem. Gorgeous, lovely manners - plenty of extra--”

“Jack! Focus! This isn’t the time for one of your sexual exploits.”

“Who said it was sexual?”

“Who said it wasn’t?”

“Point. Owen, I want you to take a quick look at Ianto, make sure he’s all right. We think this,” Jack held up the still-blinking comm. unit, “might have been affecting both him and our signals. As soon as I took it off him, he stopped calling for us. His pupils were tiny when I found him and his eyes were really bright, almost drugged, so take a blood sample too, please. You can call me with the results. You and Gwen can do a sweep of the warehouse and make sure there isn’t anything else hinky. Give the comm. to Tosh and have her take a look, but make sure she doesn’t put it on. Use maximum safety procedures when dealing with it. If anybody can figure out what that thing is, she can. I’m taking Ianto home – I’ll be staying there, so you’ll be able to find me if you need me. Once the blood test is done, you can head home. Gwen, you can go as soon as the sweep is done. Make sure Tosh goes home when you do, Owen – send the Rift alerts to my wrist-strap. Tosh knows how.”

Looking a bit dazed at Jack’s shopping list of instructions, both Gwen and Owen nodded, Gwen moving off to immediately start looking around the warehouse and Owen opening his medical kit to select the items he would need to give Ianto a quick examination. Jack stood to one side, his arms crossed, as he watched Owen poke, prod and pinch, dishing out insults that were returned with equal fervour. The last thing he did was draw a large vial of blood from Ianto’s arm, pressing a gauze pad over the small hole before slapping on a Bob the Builder plaster, glaring at Ianto’s amused eyebrow.

“What? They were cheap.”

“All of Torchwood’s expense account at your fingers for medical supplies and you choose character plasters? If I’d known you loved them so much, I’d have looked for your favourite.”

“What favourite?” Owen said cautiously, his curiosity getting the better of him, despite long experience of Ianto’s warped sense of humour at his expense.

“I saw a lovely little box of Tin Tin plasters at Tesco. I’ll be sure to pick them up next time I’m there, just for you.”

“Wanker. Still say he was doing the dog. You’re done. Nothing wrong with you, near as I can tell from here. Go with Jack, do whatever it is you two do – spare me the details – and I’ll call when I have the results.”

“Thanks, Owen. Go catch up with Gwen, make sure she hasn’t gotten into trouble. Last I saw she was looking behind those crates over there, so I think the only thing that could possibly be a problem is dust and spiders.”

A voice rang out from the other side of the warehouse; loud, slightly panicked and just a little bit pissed off. “Did you say spiders, Harkness? I hate fucking spiders! Nasty, creepy, crawly...” Her voice trailed off, continued muffled mutterings coming from behind the crates.

“Christ, you don’t want to piss that woman off, ever. She’s bloody scary. I suppose I better go rescue the spiders from her, then.”

“I heard that, Harper. Better watch your back, you never know what might land on it.”

Owen grimaced as he saluted Ianto and Jack, moving away to help Gwen finish the sweep of the warehouse. Jack turned back to Ianto, who had a pensive look on his face, his eyes hidden in the gloom.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.”

* * * * * * * * * *

Jack shook himself out of his reverie, seeing again that Ianto was still obsessively cleaning and straightening that which was already spotless and perfectly perpendicular. He could tell by the way that Ianto’s fingers twitched that he wanted – no, needed - to do something, _anything_ , to stop the thoughts from racing through his mind. As he bent over to poke at the lower shelves of his bookcase, his arse showcased beautifully in a sinfully tight pair of jeans, Jack finally decided there was only one way to clear his mind.

He stood, keeping his movements slow and languid, not wanting to rush over to Ianto and press him into doing something he didn’t want, even though he really wanted to just press him into the wall right there and devour him. But this wasn’t about him, or his wants or needs. This was about Ianto and how best to take his mind off the images he was fighting. Walking over to Ianto, he laid his hand gently on Ianto’s back, his fingers pressing gently into the muscles. He didn’t move the hand up or down, made no move to caress the arse so temptingly pushed out in front of him. He simply pressed, letting Ianto know he was there and leaving the next move up to him.

He could feel the breath leave Ianto in a long sigh, the muscle first tightening and then loosening under his hand. Ianto slowly straightened, keeping his back to Jack, his posture still slightly stiff. Jack ran his hand lightly up Ianto’s back, stopping at his neck and once again pressing his fingers gently into the muscle, but not making any other move. Ianto tipped his head forward a little, tacit permission for Jack to continue. Jack pressed harder, then soothed as he ran his hand over Ianto’s shoulders and back to his neck, stopping for a quick squeeze before continuing up to his hair.

Ianto let out a soft moan, his head dropping even further forward. Jack stepped that little bit closer, the warmth of Ianto’s body immediately hitting him. He dropped his head, placing delicate kisses at the base of his neck, nipping lightly and then laving the area with his tongue to soothe. Ianto shifted his stance slightly, body relaxing back into Jack, head tipping to the side so more of his neck was exposed to Jack’s explorations. Jack wasted no time, trailing his kisses around and up to Ianto’s ear, where he proceeded to lick and nibble some more, sucking the lobe into his mouth and flicking it with his tongue. The shiver that rolled through Ianto’s body sent a rush of blood directly to Jack’s cock, his hips jerking involuntarily against Ianto’s arse.

At the feel of Jack’s erection, Ianto pressed back harder, circling his hips in a counter movement to Jack’s, both of them making soft noises as they moved. Jack’s hand was still on Ianto’s head, digging into the scalp, then running the soft strands of hair between his fingers, knowing that it would send waves of pleasure down Ianto’s spine. Before, his other hand had been still, just hanging by his side, but now he moved it around Ianto, drawing them even closer, as he started to undo buttons, popping them one at a time to expose Ianto’s chest. As soon as he had enough access, he slipped his hand beneath the fabric, running it over Ianto’s chest, stopping to pinch nipples, rolling them between his fingers, all the while kissing the side of his neck.

“Jack. Don't tease... Need.”

Jack was pleased – it had not taken long for Ianto to become incoherent. He stopped his actions long enough to turn him around, claiming his lips in a searing kiss as soon as he was able. Ianto was voracious, pressing them close, pushing Jack back towards the sofa, his tongue sliding along Jack’s as they tasted each other for the first time that night. Jack felt the edge of the sofa hit his knees and twisted his body so that Ianto fell beneath him – he wanted to please Ianto, not have the man take over and start taking care of him instead.

He let Ianto settle before lowering his body, framing his face as he leaned down to continue the kiss. Now that they were in a better position, the kiss was slower, more exploratory, instead of hungry and desperate, although passion was no less evident and desire was building just as rapidly. Jack tipped his body to one side, sliding his hand down to finish the job of undoing buttons and divesting Ianto of his shirt. As soon as all the buttons were undone, he pulled the shirt loose, pushing it away from Ianto’s chest to expose the pale skin to his gaze.

Lust-blown eyes looked up at him, as hands scrabbled desperately at the hem of the t-shirt he’d changed into as soon as they’d gotten in. Ianto had it up and over his head before he could blink, tangling his arms as he lifted first one, then the other hand to shake it free. As soon as he had his arms back, Jack reached down between them, unsnapping the buttons on Ianto’s jeans, before doing the same to his own trousers. As he used his hand to push his trousers down out of the way, Ianto lifted his hips, pushing at his own jeans. Their cocks touched as they moved, both of them gasping at the touch, pre-come beading at the tip and dripping freely onto Ianto’s abdomen.

Jack reached under the sofa cushion, looking for the lube he knew was stashed there for times such as this. He found it, after a moment of frantic searching, Ianto kissing and writhing under him distracting him from his self-assigned task. He flipped the lid, dribbling a liberal amount into the hand that Ianto automatically held out. Tossing the lube to one side, Jack joined hands with Ianto, letting the lube transfer evenly, then moved down to their cocks, wrapping their joined hands around both and starting a slow stroke, twisting at the head and squeezing at the base.

Ianto bucked into their hands, trying desperately to speed things up, but Jack was adamant about maintaining the slow and steady pace, knowing that the result would be all the sweeter for the gradual build up. He turned his attention back to Ianto’s mouth, biting gently at the lower lip and sucking it into his mouth, then driving his tongue deep, sweeping it along the roof, swallowing the moan that Ianto let out. Ianto returned the kiss, his own tongue repeating all that Jack had done, then stepping it up by sucking Jack’s tongue into his own mouth, letting the two twist and turn in a dance both sensuous and serpentine.

Despite Jack’s best intentions, his hand quickened, no longer squeezing the base to stave off orgasm, but instead swiping his thumb over the slit, pressing down a little as they stroked. He could feel his climax, knew he was close, and that Ianto was closer still. It would take only a small push to send him over the edge, spiralling out of control and to have Jack crashing with him.

Jack broke off the kiss, dropping his head down to bite lightly at Ianto’s jaw, before returning to his neck. He latched on, just below his ear, letting his teeth graze the skin before he sucked hard. Ianto jerked beneath him, his head tipping back and neck straining, random noises escaping his throat as hot liquid spilled from his cock, spasmodic pulses covering Jack’s hand and making his strokes even slicker.

“Jack...”

Ianto’s strangled voice, Jack’s name wrenched from his throat, was all it took for Jack to tumble. He gave a shout, bucked hard into their joined hands, and let his orgasm wash over him. Stars flashed, cymbals crashed, drums beat and trumpets blared in a discordant yet harmonious crescendo – then silence, except for their laboured breathing as they fought to regain equilibrium.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. You feel better now? No more wanting to straighten the flat to within an inch of its life?”

“No. I’m good. How did you know?”

“Aside from the fact that I just watched you re-alphabetize your DVD collection? I watch you as much as you watch me. I’m not always as good at it as you, but I like to think I can read you reasonably well. I knew you needed something other than cleaning and tidying to take your mind off today.”

“And you figured sex was a good way?”

“Best therapy out there! Hey, it worked, didn’t it?”

“Yep. I know it was just my mind playing tricks on me - I _know_ that. I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. I should have been able to tell it was all in my mind to start with – honestly, what kind of fucked up mind would think up cannibal Cybermen? That use Dalek expressions? Definitely not real.”

“No, not real. But not fucked up either. You’ve been through hell in your life, Ianto. You’ve seen things nobody your age should have seen, and done things nobody your age should have done. It’s no surprise your mind combined them all into something a bit perverted and twisted. I just--”

Jack’s mobile rang before he could finish his sentence, both men reaching for it automatically. Ianto found it first, passing it to Jack automatically, who took a quick glance at the caller ID, mouthed Owen and answered.

“Harkness... yes, he’s here... where else would he be, it’s his flat... he’s fine... no, no more... no, his eyes are fine... I can give you a lovely description of them if you want... Well you did ask... You have the results?.. Oh?.. That makes sense... no, no marks on him that I can see... well, I can see quite a bit at the moment, although not as much... then don’t ask... If I notice anything, I’ll let you know... She found what?.. A signature, huh?.. Sounds... yeah... like my Vortex Manipulator, yeah... John Hart... would figure... of course he does, who doesn’t?... Well, he knows it’s a good way to get to me... Okay, see you both tomorrow... Yeah, it’s not too much of a rush if the signature has gone... probably a prank... yeah, always was a prick... about 10ish is fine... see you then. Night.”

He dropped the phone back on the table, turning back to look down on Ianto, ready to give him an explanation for the one-sided conversation, but the look on Ianto’s face told him that he’d pretty much figured most of it out.

“So, John fucking Hart decided to get to you through me. What did he use – some kind of future psychoactive drug coupled with mind suggestion? Did I get that right?”

“Yeah, pretty much. Owen said there are traces of a mild hallucinogenic in your system, nothing that would affect you long term or make you dependent, but coupled with the suggestions that the comm. was whispering into your ear, enough to send you into a field of dreams nobody would want to wander through. My guess is the rift alert that sent you out in the first place was engineered by Hart, then he ambushed you, set you up and left – his Vortex Manipulator signal was hours old. He just didn’t figure on our tech being as good as it was. While we couldn’t find you exactly, we were able to narrow it down enough that he bugged out as soon as possible. Fucker – I’m going to wring his neck when I see him next. It’s one thing to mess with me, but when he starts messing with my team – with _you_ \- it really pisses me off. He always did have a thing for you.”

“Jack, calm down. He’s an insignificant little bug. He didn’t hurt me, or anybody else. You just stopped me from thinking about everything, but you need to do the same thing. Don’t let this cloud your mind.”

“Ianto, you’re amazing. You go through all this hell and you’re still trying to look after others. I’m supposed to be taking care of you tonight.”

“Okay, if you want to. Why don’t you start by telling me about those amazing tree people from the Forests of Cheem. Just what is it that they have a lot of? I’m all for a visual demonstration, if you’re having trouble describing anything.”

“Ianto Jones, I always knew you were a kinky bastard.”

End


End file.
